Indie Spotlight: ‘Almost Asian’ Lives Between Two Worlds

We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now.  Read previous installments here. 

Through web series episodes, a half-Japanese, half-German actress is exploring her heritage. Katie Malia is the creator and star of Almost Asian, in which she shares various scenarios related to her mixed-race identity.

On the surface, Malia’s web series appears similar to many other projects helmed by aspiring actors in Los Angeles. Certain episodes do trend in that direction, but others embrace Malia’s Japanese identity by taking on the tone of a campy Far East TV program. It’s not just Malia herself who is multicultural; her web series itself lives somewhere between LA and Tokyo.

“My intention with Almost Asian is to celebrate the nuanced mixed-ethnic identity and challenge our social conventions regarding race and culture through a heightened-comedic lens,” said Malia in a press release.

The latest episode takes place at a karaoke bar. It features a guest appearance from former Saturday Night Live cast member Horatio Sanz and, um, a unique rendition of Styx’s “Mr. Roboto.”

The Almost Asian episodes Malia has released over the past year and a half can be found on the series’ website.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Break A Hip. An old actress hires a young, struggling actor to attend to her needs.
• Rocketship Radio. A real life band shares its (presumably) fictional adventures together.
• How To Not. The characters in this series find themselves attracted to bad decisions but looking for good ones.
• Polyglot. Multicultural characters interact with each other in Berlin.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.